Coubital tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve in the elbow. The ulnar nerve is one of the main nerves of the forearm and hand. Most patients with this condition typically experience numbness and tingling in their fingers, along with weakness of grip. Those most affected by this condition often include office workers and others who operate machinery with a bent elbw.

The traditional treatment of this condition often required surgery that would leave extensive scarring. However, the latest approach can require only a one-inch incision and take as little as 15 minutes in the operating room. This is possible because this new technique utilizes an endoscope or operating telescope to assist the surgeon.

Stacey Berner, M.D., medical director of the Hand Center at Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Maryland has become the first surgeon in Maryland to perform a revolutionary new hand surgery to help alleviate cubital tunnel syndrome.

"Typically, the new procedure allows for the decompression of the ulnar nerve of the elbow with an incision as small as one-inch," said Dr. Berner. "The new approach of using an endoscope significantly decreases the amount of time and scarring associated with a decompression."